The News-Press didn't cover the Bonita Springs Fire Board meeting to bring that story to all Bonita Springs residents.

And what a story it was. Fire Commissioner Wayne Edsall made the motion to fire the chief; I seconded the motion.

Charges of cronyism, nepotism and abuse of power in the hiring of nine firefighters filled the meeting discussions. The charges and dialogs basically came from Edsall and me. The department attorney, the chief and Commissioner Steve Lohan challenged every charge we made.

The entire meeting remains a lost opportunity for the public to have considered the value of the charges made and to decide if justification existed to fire the chief.

The story still has not been brought to the public's awareness, which is truly sad because in a few months both fire commissioners Edsall and Lohan will be up for re-election. This one meeting alone was an important opportunity for the public to consider whether there is cronyism, nepotism and abuse of power in the fire department and to have observed how the individual board members handled the issue.

The story should not continue to go untold by the Daily News during this time where the important issue of bringing ambulance service to the fire department and more hiring may be considered.